On Friday we happened to see our family physician, who has since left with his wife on a Caribbean cruise. Naturally, we were all ears.

This week they’re en route to Honduras, Grand Cayman and Mexico, from Fort Lauderdale, and since we’d been in all these places during the past six months we shared some experiences. As it turned out, they are not especially interested in Honduras, Grand Cayman and Mexico after all.

For them — his wife is also a doctor — it’s all about the ship, and even the ship doesn’t matter.

“Just so we don’t have to answer the phone,” he says.

It’s an escape. We hear about people who want to escape their climate at this time of year, and most of us can identify with that, and you don’t usually find cruise ships sailing in frigid waters.

Obviously, there’s also a cruise clientele that just wants to escape the busy world in which they work.

On a cruise ship. Any ship.

Cruisers like this can probably be found in the library, or sitting on a balcony, listening to the ocean go by.